Monthly Archives: January 2010

In My Professional Opinion

Posted on 2010-01-20 by Tony Farruggio

The guy at the train station coffee stand just said to me, “Speaking as someone who’s been in coffee for seven years, even I can’t tell the difference between regular and decaf.” Now, one hates to be too much of … Continue reading →

Posted in articles | Comments Off

California Dreamin’ (on someone else’s dime)

Posted on 2010-01-12 by Tony Farruggio

This past Friday, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger called for the federal government to bail out the taxpayers of his state to the tune of some $6.9 billion. The request comes amid efforts to close a $19.9 billion gap in his proposed $82.9 billion 2010-2011 fiscal budget. We hear daily news stories of governors all over the United States struggling to close similar gaping holes in their states’ budgets. By what rationale is California more deserving than others? Schwarzenegger argues his case on two fronts. First, he points out that Californians pay far more in federal taxes than they ever receive in federal disbursements. Second, he suggests that the burden of complying with unfunded federal mandates is one of the chief culprits bankrupting his state. Let’s take each of these arguments in turn. Continue reading →

Posted in articles | Tagged | Comments Off